Many believers assume the fixed absolute authority of the Bible, so I’m aware that what follows doesn’t often happen, but I think it should. Adopting a version of authority for the biblical text ought to be tentative, not complete. Here’s why. Authority has to take into account an ANE, Jewish and Greco-Roman setting, the natural world, the theological environment, and the literary context if it’s to have credibility. In the hope of understanding and explaining the text better after engaging with these informers, the plausibility of ‘authority’ can only then be assessed. On this account, I’d wager that the outcome should be that authority is going to be in motion and will have to be open to the emerging and unfolding information available to us as time goes on.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
Reflection for the Week - July 29
Hermeneutical
entanglements are complex and sometimes conflicting as we dialogue with
ourselves,
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Living Spiritual Rhythms - July 24
Appropriate trust is like a virus that infects us
with courage when it comes to reversing an inappropriate fear of self-deception
about belief.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Reflection for the Week - July 23
Drawing conclusions about the world from solely one perspective is reductionistic. By contrast, we want to recognize that reality has to be viewed from a multiplicity of intricate angles and variable vistas. Whether climbing a high Alpine peak or walking through a city, much of what we perceive deserves a skillful attention to detail that may first escape us. 'Looking again,' perhaps, should be a key feature of being holistic, founded as it is on the exceedingly complex character of nature and God.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
Reflection for the Week - July 15
Literary genres in the biblical text are not merely formal structures or conventions, but function as theological directives concerning the complexity of the character of God. Genre diversity, in the biblical drama, opens horizons and dimensions of God that no single genre can contain, yet even this is intriguingly incomplete. Narrative, wisdom, poetry, hymn, prophecy, and apocalyptic, for example, valiantly attempt to portray in words that which is ultimately beyond capturing: God.
Monday, July 8, 2019
Reflection for the Week - July 8
I’m
not concerned to defend the biblical text, but first to better understand by
what authority it makes its claims, or as it were, tells its story. That is, when
engaging the text, its authority should be articulated and clarified, rather
than merely assumed. Several things need to be taken into account, including the
ANE - Jewish and Greco-Roman setting, the natural world informer, the
theological environment, and the literary context. My hope is to assess what authority
is plausible and where and how it is to be identified. No doubt evaluations
will change over time, so this is probably a lifelong task, but nonetheless one
that is worthwhile undertaking.
Monday, July 1, 2019
Reflection for the Week - July 1
Life
and the Christian life don't seem to be about resolution, but tension.
Questions about God’s goodness, nature, and living as a Christian in a terribly
messy world, for example, are unresolved and thus continue to be an existential
part of it all. Doubt is ever present, but it doesn't reign. I never start at
zero, because I live on the basis of accumulated information and experience,
yet the theological, philosophical, and scientific mysteries remain open to
further investigation in the sphere of what is known and still unknown.
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